Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

A historic church in Lenapah is destroyed by fire.

The vacant St. Paul's Baptist Church in Lenapah caught fire yesterday morning. Witnesses report an RV started the fire which spread to the church. Despite quick efforts by the Lenapah Fire Department, the structure is a total loss.

According to local author Emily Cowan of Abandoned Oklahoma, the church was built as a Roman Catholic Church in 1897 and predated the town's establishment. In the early 20^th century, the St. Paul Baptists, mainly an African American congregation, purchased the building and move it to its present location. The last services were held in the building in 2013.